My mother…like alot of mothers…doesn’t like to have her picture made.
Whenever I suggest we do pictures of her, she will say she’s too fat…or too old…or too ugly…or any number of excuses for not wanting her picture taken. And I always tell her that she’s NONE of those things…because she isn’t. But…to be honest, I feel the same way about myself and pictures…as I’m sure alot of moms and dads do. Let’s face it, we are often our own worst critics and pictures leave NO room for our daily creative imaginings of how we think we look. It’s just there…in living color or sometimes black and white. It’s like the days when we think we’ve looked good all day only to be disappointed by what we actually see as we pass a mirror or window in a store.
I’m not going to argue that everyone is beautiful in their own right…because you won’t believe it.
But you SHOULD DO the pictures anyway for a couple of reasons.
First, because photographs are important triggers to memory. Looking back at pictures of my parents when they were young and remembering things we did when I was a child largely brings me back that time to my mind. I almost always begin to remember more details than are in the picture…with the picture acting as a kickstart for my brain. I can picture the first house we lived in on Patrick AFB because I have a few pictures of me and my friends from that time. I remember what my mom looked like at 30…because I have a picture of her with my brother right after he was born.
Second, and an extension of the first, is because someday, that may be all that’s left of you in your children’s world. The memories…the good times…the bad…the pictures may be all that’s left to them someday.
My father, both grandfathers, one of my grandmothers…are all gone. I can’t argue with my dad anymore about politics. I can’t play with my grandfathers anymore. I will never again taste my Granny’s biscuits.
But I have a few pictures of them. My dad in his air force uniform. My papa holding me on his lap as he drives a tractor. My pa sitting in front of heater cause the man was ALWAYS cold even in summer. And my Granny when she came to visit me in Germany just after I was born. Those are the things I have left of them now, photos that bring me back to a different place and time.
Let me ask you a question…and be HONEST with yourself…you don’t want to have your pictures taken…but don’t you wish you had more pictures of your mother when she was your age? What about your mother or father from when you were little? Don’t you wish you had a long trail of memories you could look back on? Shouldn’t your kids have that too?
Don’t waste time. Get pictures made with you and your kids. Show up in EVERY photo you can…photobomb your kids selfies…because someday…the pictures may be all they have left of how crazy you were to them.
Even if it’s not with me…do it anyway…get pictures with your kids from SOMEONE. You won’t regret it 5, 10, or 15 years from now…I promise.